Vicknair’s three-run triple put the Rebels ahead 3-2, but Curtis first baseman Rachel Brockhaus responded with a two-run single in the sixth.

“It was upsetting, but we’re very excited (for today’s game),” said Vicknair, whose team fell in the semifinals the last two seasons. “In every sport, Riverside wants to beat Curtis. We love to put them down, and they love to put us down. It’s like beating brothers and sisters.”

“She’s improved each year,” Riverside Coach Kristy Hebert said. “I had enough confidence in her as an eighth-grader. She ended up on the mound in the playoffs.”

“We have five seniors. It’s going to be a hard group to see go.”

Vicknair, who also has a .510 batting average with three home runs and 22 RBIs, said she picked up a dropball first.

“I’m getting a lot more strikeouts this year,” Vicknair said. “I’ve been getting my pitches to work a lot better. I’m just trying to keep everything intact, my wrists right and keep the right release point, so I can be as good as I can be.”

Bailey, who has played with Vicknair since she was 10, said Vicknair's riseball has seen the biggest improvement.

“In the past, her dropball was been her thing, but recently, it’s been her riseball and her change-up,” she said. “We have a really good bond.”

Vicknair has accomplished a lot in softball even if some of those accomplishments surprise her. She pitched a pefect game against Neville on March 15, but she didn’t know about the special feat until after the game. The game ball still sits in a cabinet at her house.

“That was insane,” said Vicknair of the 11-strikeout game. “I was shocked.”

While the perfect game was fulfilling, she wants to accomplish more.

“I want to win a state championship,” Vicknair said. “As soon as we were in eighth grade, we knew we had a good team. We’ve come so close twice. This has to be the year.”